Laois Intermediate and Uneven Ages Cross Country Championships.

Day 1 and 2 of the Laois Cross Country Championships couldn’t have been much more different to each other in terms of weather. Last week, athletes were greeted by the early stages of a Yellow Weather Warning with everyone anxious to get away before the worst of the weather arrived. In stark contrast Day 2 in Blackhills, Abbeyleix was a beautiful day with the sun splitting the trees throughout the morning.

A full Juvenile programme got proceedings underway with the Intermediate Races bringing the curtain down on the first two days of action in the County Cross Country calendar. The Intermediate races were once again very competitive.  The Ladies was ran over 4km taking in a kilometre back to the finish and then 3 full laps. From the early stages a group of three separated themselves from the field and continued to battle all the way to the finish line. In the end it was Aileen Lynch who proved strongest, making a move on the final lap to seal victory. Vivienne Kenny matched last week’s performance when finished in 2nd place on again.
The Men’s race followed a similar pattern with David McEvoy making an early gap on the field, with a group of 3 athletes in pursuit. David led through the midpoint of the 6km race but the battle was heating up behind him and the chasers had begun to close the gap. Eventually David was reeled in by Ronan O Reilly of Ballyroan/Abbeyleix and District. Both athletes went out on the final lap together with Ronan finishing stronger to take the title and David had to settle for 2nd place. It was a similar story to last week’s team event also. Oughvale claimed team honours in both ladies and men’s races with St Abban’s having to settle for silver medals. The Men’s team of David, Tom Kenny, Billy Ramsbottom, Paddy Dunne and Liam Byrne secured silver team medals.

Numbers were particularly low in the U19 races, however both athletes were of a very high standard. In the U19 Girls which was ran with the Intermediate, Rachel Ayers led from gun to tape in a dominating performance. Similarly, Finn Craig made a large gap from the Intermediate men and continued to extend this as the 6km race developed.

Across the rest of the juvenile races St Abban’s faired very well with a number of top 3 finishes and a great haul of team medals to show. Race winners included Shane Kelly, Ava Brophy, Liam Doyle, Sinead Fitzpatrick, Laura Ayers and Joe Leonard. Most of these athletes will now turn their attention to Day 1 of the Leinster Cross Country which will be held in Dunboyne while others will continue to train hard ahead of some development races over the remainder of the season. 

Finally, a huge thank you to all of the parents and coaches who continue to work tirelessly to prepare athletes for their events. A thank you also to everyone in Ballyroan/ Abbeyleix and District who organised a fantastic event for everyone to enjoy today.